Heaven on Earth

It's hard to create a list of highlights for Yosemite. Everything is a highlight! You will have to make sacrifices though. Winter means low flowing waterfalls, the high country is closed because of snow, but the crowds are low. Spring is the best time for waterfalls but the high country is still closed. Summer everything is open but the place is packed with tourists. And Fall is gorgeous, the high country is still open, not crowded, but waterfalls are almost non-existant.

If you're there during a full moon, watch it rise over Half Dome from Tunnel View. It's breathtaking! During the spring, hike the short trail to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls during a full moon and witness a Lunar Rainbow, or "moonbow". Visit Glacier Point at night and view and endless sea of stars up above. Hike to the top of Half Dome and feel like you're standing on top of the world!

Quick Tips:

Discounts to the national parks can be hard to come by, but these parks are cheap! for a carload of people really isn't bad, plus it gets you in for 7 days! If you plan to stay longer or visit more national parks within the year, pay the to get a National Parks pass, good for a full year from the month of purchase. For a discount on the annual pass, pick up a copy of Fodor's National Parks of the West.

The towns of Oakhurst (15 miles from the southern boundary) and Mariposa (45 miles from the western boundary) both have modern ammenities and equipment rental for much cheaper than you'll find them in the park.

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is not always necessary in Yosemite. YARTS provides bus service, for a fee, from nearby communities, even as far away as Merced and Mammoth Lakes, into the valley and Wawona. Busses operate year-round from Mariposa and seasonally from Mammoth Lakes. Call 1-877-98-YARTS or visit the YARTS website for schedules and ticket information.

Once inside the park, free shuttle busses operate year-round in the valley, although in the winter only two busses operate at once. If you just miss the bus then, expect a 20-25 minute wait for the next one. In summer 10-15 busses run at once and you can expect one every 4-5 minutes. Seasonal busses run in the summer from the Valley to Glacier Point, Wawona, and Toulumne Meadows, though they cost money. A free shuttle bus also runs in summer from Wawona to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.

Bridalviel Falls is a short walk from a spacious parking lot. It is the waterfall that can be seen from Tunnel View directly across the valley from El Capitan. Follow the paved trail in the southeast corner of the parking lot a few hundred yards til another trail branches off to the right. The trail is marked with a sign, but it doesn't say Bridalviel Falls so it's a bit confusing. After a steep climb through trees and rocks the waterfall will come into view on the right as the trail ends a way-too-small viewing area. During spring runoff, expect to get soaked with mist here!

El Capitan, the largest single granite monolith in the world, towers over 3000 feet above the valley floor. It is very popular with rock climbers and numberous people gather in the meadow beneath it to watch. At night, watch for small balls of light along its sheer face where climbers are resting in slings dangling from the side of the cliff. For the best photos, park at the pull-off shortly after the road becomes one-way heading into the valley. To watch the mountain climbers, park along El Capitan meadow on Northside Drive, the one way road heading out of the valley.

This short walk puts you right at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls, the spot where Yosemite Creek finally reaches the floor of the valley after plummeting some 2,454 feet. Lower Yosemite Falls makes up just a fraction of that though, rising just 310 feet. In late summer, these falls are dry, but in spring they come to life in a deafening roar and soaking spray.

The trail is paved to the bridge and accessible to wheelchairs, although help will be needed with a short steep section at the very end. The start of the trail provides the only view in the park of Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls one right above the other. The swath of trees was cut here specifically for that purpose. The trailhead is in back of a large parking lot across from Yosemite Lodge. Expect a lot of company on this trail.

On the night of a full moon in spring, hike this trail to the bridge and you get a sight you can rarely see anywhere else, a lunar rainbow! The full moon in Yosemite is so intense and bright and the falls flow so strongly that a rainbow is created in the mist even at night.

The trail starts at the back of Camp 4 (aka Sunnyside Walk-in Campground) just to the west of the Yosemite Lodge on Northside Drive. The trail quickly climbs and you will have to negotiate several dozen switchbacks before you finally reach Columbia Rock after a mile. Although it's not signed, you will no doubt want to stop to admire the perfect views across the valley to Half Dome. Looking down it is amazing how far up you've climbed and how far you still have to go.

Moving on you eventually round a corner to the first glimpse of Upper Yosemite Falls. This is the only place in the park you can get upclose photos of the falls. In spring you will get soaked with mist all the way through here. The trail levels out for a while before ducking into a large crevass in the cliff wall and the falls disappear for the rest of the climb as several dozen more switchbacks finally bring us to the rim of Yosemite Valley. The trail is easily lost here but there is a small fenced in viewing area on the cliff at the brink of the falls. There is a very narrow rock stairwell to get down though and people with a fear of heights may want to stay well back from the view point. The only way back is the way you came.

They don't call this the Mist Trail for nothing. During spring runoff, be sure to bring either your bathing suit or rain gear, because you will get soaked! If you don't want to get wet and are happy with a distant view, hike the moderately steep route to the Vernal Falls bridge. Along this route you will get an impressive view of Illouette Falls, hidden deep in a slot canyon across the river from the trail. There is no trail to the base of this fall although you can get to the top from the Panorama Trail. If you're brave, continue on from the bridge! After rounding a bend, the spray hits you and stays on through most of the 300+ steps you have to climb to the top of Vernal Falls. This trail is the most popular trail in the park, so you will have plenty of company!

Follow the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls as outlined in my Mist Trail to Vernal Falls tip. Beyond Vernal Falls, the trail levels out and offers great shots of Emerald Pool and Silver Apron. DO NOT SWIM IN THE RIVER!! Many people are swept over the falls every year. The trail crosses the river and soon starts another steep climb up several rocky switchbacks, along the base of soaring Liberty Cap. Watch your step here, as loose gravel can make footing tricky. At the top of the switchbacks, the trail splits. Head left for a set of restrooms and also to hike to Little Yosemite Valley or to the top of Half Dome or Clouds Rest. Go right to reach the brink of the Nevada Falls. Return the way you came, but be very careful! An easier way down is by way of the John Muir trail. You won't get wet this way either.

Several hiking trails wander through this sequoia grove. Most people will hike to Grizzly Giant and California Tree but that's it. As a result much solitude can be found if you continue. I find the upper grove to be more interesting anyway! I recommend hiking the grove all the way to the back at Wawona Point, but if you'd rather not hike uphill, then during the summer take the tram tour to the Fallen Wawona Tunnel tree and hike back to the parking lot from there. NOTE: The tram costs money. Check for prices at the ticket office.

Ribbon Falls is appropriately named. It's narrow and hard to spot, tucked in a little nook next to El Capitan. It's one of the last waterfalls to appear in spring and one of the first to dry up, as it only drains four small creeks. However, when Ribbon Falls can be seen, it is indeed an impressive sight. It is the highest single waterfall in the park and the highest single waterfall in North America, falling 1,612 feet from the top of the cliff before it hits land again. In contrast, Upper Yosemite Falls plummets just 1,430 feet. When combined with the middle cascades (675 feet) and the Lower Falls (320 feet), Yosemite Falls totals 2,425 feet in three separate falls. Ribbon Falls, because it dries up so early, is usually only seen in the late winter and early spring, best between March and May. After May it's rather iffy. There are no trails to Ribbon Falls, but when it is flowing, you can view it on Southside Drive heading into Yosemite Valley, just beyond the parking lot for Bridelviel Falls. The pull-off for El Capitan provides perfect views.

Yosemite has so many different moods. When you visit will usually be determined by what you want to see. So many people venture to Yosemite in August or September and are disappointed to not see the spectacular waterfalls. Whenever you go, you will have to make some sacrifices. You just need to decide what you most want to see or experience and go then. Or just go twice!

Winter brings with it snow. Yes it's California, but it's also the mountains. Yosemite Valley lies at 4,000 feet and does receive quite a bit of snow. The surrounding communities, Oakhurst, El Portal, and Mariposa, rarely see that snow though as they are around 2,000-2,500 feet. Glacier Point and the high country are closed, but crowds are thin, except around holidays. The valley is gorgeous under a fresh blanket of snow. The spray from Yosemite Falls makes a thick coat of ice on the cliff around it at night. During the day, you can see and hear chucks of ice over 100 feet tall break off and crash their way to the base of the falls in a thunderous roar that echoes through the whole valley. Snowstorms are common and unpredictable. Always carry chains with you as they could be required at any time.

Spring brings new life. By April and May, waterfalls are at their peak, gushing with water. Wild flowers bloom in June. The Mariposa Grove often opens sometime in March or April with Glacier Point and the high country usually opening by the end of May or early June. Crowds start to pick up by late May.

Summer can be hot and dry. Crowds are at their worst, and lodging prices are steep. Waterfalls start to dry up by August. I usually tell people to avoid this season if at all possible.

Autumn is gorgeous as well. Temperatures cool down but are still pleasant. Crowds diminish greatly. The high country and Glacier Point are still open. November starts the rainy season. The only bad thing about Autumn is the waterfalls are down to a trickle or non-existant.